Hero Mode
by WanderingChild-InWinter
Summary: Sometimes life is crazy; Sometimes you wake up on a First Order ship, and by nightfall you're literally being swept off your feet by a handsome Resistance pilot with a habit of going into "Hero Mode". Or The Story of Poe and Eloriah from "Never Alone". A companion piece, and part of that Universe.
1. Chapter 1

AN: _**Hey beautiful readers- so if you read my other Fic "Never Alone", then you'll be familiar with what's going on here- it's Poe and the OC he falls in love with in that universe. I had a few requests to expand on their story, and I decided I wanted to explore their romance a little bit too! While you could read this as a stand alone, it 110% is going to make more sense if you've read "Never Alone". It also contains Spoilers for "Never Alone", since it's basically just a shorter fic that explores some key moments in a different relationship than the central one of that story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**_

For the last ten years of her life, Eloriah has had nightmares about the death of her mother. Every night, she sees the blast pierce her mother's chest, and the life leaving her eyes. The night aboard the Millennium Falcon is no different.

Leaving with Rey had been an easy choice. She had stayed with the First Order not out of loyalty, but out of necessity. All she had ever wanted was to be a midwife, the way her mother had been, but she'd been stuck mostly setting broken bones and stitches since she'd been sucked into the black hole that was the First Order. She'd seen too many people die, been called in to clean up prisoners multiple times only to have them tortured again and again. Still, after a decade the ships and bases of the order were the only home she had.

"Can't sleep?" She starts, and looks up to see the handsome Pilot from before leaning in the doorway.

"Oh- um, no, I was sleeping for a little while."

"Nightmares?" She's sure she blushes. "It's okay. We all get 'em. You cold? You look cold." He picks up an old gray blanket and drapes it over her shoulders. "How's the knee?"

"It's um, it's fine. Thank you." She smiles.

"Well I may not be a medic, but I'm pretty good at patch up jobs." He smiles at her, and she feels her heart flutter wildly. "Rey told me you were the one who took care of her when she was having Gemma."

"I was."

"Thank you, for that. Rey's pretty important to all of us back in our little home."

"She's important to me too." Eloriah nods.

"Did you ever see the two of them together?" Poe asks after a moment.

"Who? Oh- Rey and Kylo Ren- er- Her Ben? I did. He was with her during her entire labor. He supported her, and cared for her, feared for her." Eloriah's lips twitch into a smile at the memory.

"Does he love her?"

"He does. Very much. And she loves him." Eloriah says softly. "I'm Sorry."

"What for?"

"The two of you, um, cared for eachother once, didn't you?" She stammers awkwardly.

"You could say that I suppose. I was more...a second choice, I guess. But I knew that going in." He shrugs. "It was the right thing to do at the time, and Rey...Rey is something special, but I couldn't say that we were ever, I don't know, destined to be together. And I have to admit they made one damn cute kid."

"Gemma is beautiful. I can't believe how dark her eyes are- and her hair...When I was little, I wished I had dark hair like that." Eloriah admits.

"What? Why?" Poe scoffs.

"Oh, I never much liked being a redhead. People teased me about it a lot when I was a kid." Eloriah shrugged.

"Well, they were idiots. I like your hair. This is going to sound stupid, but it sort of reminds me of my droid."

"BB-8?" Eloriah laughs as he delicately pinches the end of her braid between his fingers before he drops it again.

"Well, he's a custom colored droid. Orange is my favorite. I mean, your hair's a much better color than the paint I found for BB-8, don't get me wrong, but it reminds me of it." He ruffles his hand through his curly hair, and Eloriah feels the heat creeping into her cheeks.

"Thank you, I think?"

"It was definitely supposed to be a compliment." he chuckles. "Sorry, a little off my game I guess. I'm tired."

"Off your game?" She questions.

"Oh, I'm usually much more charming than this." He grins at her and she laughs again. "You have a nice laugh. Bright, cheerful."

"I don't think I've laughed so much in ten years." She admits, and he frowns.

"Then I guess I have my new mission." He says as he cracks his knuckles.

"What might that be?"

"To make you laugh as often as possible." He grins at her.

"I'm sure you have better things to do." She shakes her head. "I'm hardly worth the time."

"I'll be the judge of that, Ellie- oh, sorry- I've been told I should ask before I just give people nicknames."

"I don't mind. My mother actually used to call me that. It's been a very long time since I heard anyone say it." She smiles, and blinks away a few tears that form in her blue eyes.

"Here." Poe hands her a rag, and she brushes away the tears that manage to escape.

"Sorry- it's been… it's been a long day." She admits.

"You probably need to sleep."

"Probably." She sighs.

"But if you don't want to, Chewie is about to take his break to sleep, and I could use some company up in the cockpit."

"I'd like that." She smiles, and he helps her up. She feels herself coloring again when she feels the heat of his skin against hers. To her pleasant surprise, he doesn't let go of her hand as they walk through the ship. They pass a large wookie, who exchanges a few words with Poe, and then he gestures for her to take the co-pilot's chair.

"So tell me Eloriah, how did you find yourself working for the First Order?" Poe asks, glancing at her as he reviews the controls.

"That...is a long story." She frowns.

"Well...If you want to tell it, we have time. I've been told that I'm a good listener, as long as no one's giving me orders." He winks at her and she laughs again. "There it is- that's two for Dameron."

"You're going to keep track?" She scoffs.

"I just might." He grins. "Come on then, what's the story? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to-"

"No, that's...I mean...I could tell you."


	2. Chapter 2

She jumps as she feels hands come up to cover her eyes and she then she relaxes.

"Poe?" She asks, and he chuckles.

"What gave me away?" He asks.

"Well, other than Rose and Rey, you're the only one who trusts me enough to tease me, well, except for Finn, but his hands are a lot different than yours." Eloriah explains.

"Are people still giving you a hard time?" Poe frowns.

"No, not really. They aren't being cruel, or anything like that, they're just not sure what to make of me yet." She shrugs. "It's still better than being in the First Order Med units. People aren't afraid of being punished for talking to me here."

"Kriff, the First Order just sounds…"

"Insane?" Eloriah offers, and he nods. "It was. A well oiled machine, yes, but a terrible one."

"I see you're almost out of caff- Can I get you some more?" Poe asks, and she nods. "Be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"Well, you're bringing me caff, what reason would I have to run?" She asks, and he smirks at her. She looks down at her hands, and waves when she sees Rose enter the mess hall. Her roommate comes over to her and takes a seat at the table. "You meeting Finn?"

"I don't spend all of my time with Finn!" Rose scoffs. "But now that you mention it, I might be."

"That's what I thought." Eloriah smirks, and her eyes flit over to where Poe is chatting easily with someone in the line.

"What are you looking at?" Rose asks, and she looks over her shoulder. "Oooh, Commander Dameron. He's got two mugs there- I can only assume one is for you."

"Maybe." Eloriah shrugs and fights to keep her voice indifferent.

"Has Dameron asked you out yet?"

"What?! No. that's...dumb- Poe doesn't like me." Eloriah scoffs.

"Uh huh, sure. That's why he goes to the med unit to get bacta for bruises. Bruises, Eloriah, he doesn't need bacta for those!" Rose laughs. "Poe's cute. You two would be really cute together!"

"Sure." Eloriah feels her face heat up even more.

"Well, I'm going to hop into line- they have Finn's favorite dessert today, and he's running late. I'll never hear the end of it if I don't save him some. Say hi to Dameron for me." Rose shoves her gently and then she's gone. Eloriah looks up at Poe as he approaches, and quickly casts her eyes down again. Yes, he's incredibly handsome, and kind, but Eloriah knows better than to get her hopes up when it comes to having a relationship with him. After all, he'd once fancied himself in love with Rey, and Rey was...well, you'd have to be blind not to see how beautiful Rey was. Compared to her, Eloriah knew that she was nothing special. She was just...Eloriah.

But it had been ages since she'd had a male friend, and she would enjoy it while it lasted.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Happy May the 4th! Gotta love Star Wars day!_**

"Well, I don't know what you said to Rey, but she's back among the living again. Thank you." Eloriah smiles as they walk a now familiar path around the base.

"Oh, I just called her out. That's what she and I do for eachother." He shrugs. "I mean, poor thing was about ready to snap."

"Well, you can't really blame her. She's been through...well, she's been through a lot." Eloriah sighs. "I mean, to be fair, most everyone in the Resistance has been through a lot, but I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through. Being separated from the man she loves, the father of her child, no less...and he's evil- the Supreme Leader, that is. I tended to his casualties more than once." She shivers despite the warmth of the evening, and he shrugs out of his coat again before he drapes it over her shoulders. "You've got to be careful doing that, Dameron, One of these days I might not give it back."

"I wouldn't mind. You look better in my jackets than I do." He shrugs. She catches his eyes, warm brown with flecks of gold meeting dark blue, and he puts a hand on her cheek. Her breath hitches in her throat as he leans in, but she twists her face at the last second, his lips meeting her cheek. "I'm sorry- I thought- forget it."

"No- it's not- I do liked- you have soft lips." She stammers, her face burning. "I'm sorry, I haven't actually dealt with a boy I had feelings for since I was twelve. And if you want to look at it like that, I've never had a man I've had feelings for before."

"Not before, huh?" He asks, his eyebrow quirking up.

"Don't be smug, it doesn't suit you." She shakes her head, and a strand of her auburn hair falls into her eyes.

"Sorry, Sorry." he smiles at her again, and reaches up to move the hair out of her face. She feels her skin break out in gooseflesh at his proximity. "So- if you do have feelings for me, why turn away?"

"It's stupid…"

"You can tell me."

"I haven't kissed anyone since I was twelve- and most people would say that doesn't count." She admits. "And I know that you were with Rey for a while, and other women too- I just-" His lips on hers silence her, and she finds herself melting against him as her lips respond of their own accord. When he pulls away from her, he's got the most breathtaking smile she's ever seen on his face. "What was I saying?"

"Something stupid about other women?" He scoffs.

"Was it stupid?" She questions.

"Pretty stupid." He laughs as he grabs the end of her braid between his fingers again. "You are...well, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Please, I'm no Rey."

"Don't get me wrong, Ellie, Rey is beautiful too- but you're not any less beautiful than she is." He moves his hand to trail across her jaw. "You are incredible, brave, beautiful. Every single day I learn more about you, and I can't stop thinking about you." She sees a light blush blooming across his tan cheeks, and she lifts her fingers to touch it.

"My my, Poe Dameron, are you blushing?" She teases.

"I just might be." He laughs.

"It looks good on you." She smiles. "Come on- it's almost curfew."

"Don't worry- I have buddies on guard duty. They won't care if we're a little late." He takes her hand and twines their fingers together. "Let's take our time."

"Okay." She smiles and they walk slowly together back towards the base. "So...what does this make us, then?"

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"I mean- are you like, my boyfriend now?" She asks shyly.

"Do you want me to be?" He asks.

"Well- I mean- Hold on just a second." She stops walking and frowns at him. "I'm never going to hear the end of it if Rose finds out this is how this happened- you have to ask me." He laughs, and puts her hand on his chest.

"Ellie, I think you are the most incredible woman, I want to get to know you better, and I am crazy about you. So, you want to make things official?" He asks, raising a brow at her.

"Well...alright." She says, trying to sound casual. She stands on her toes, and presses her mouth to his again, and she feels him smile under her lips.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're distracting me." Eloriah murmurs as she pushes another file into place in the holo system. His arms are wrapped around her waist, and his lips press against her neck.

"Am I?" He asks, amusement coloring his tone. He's already managed to unbraid her hair, leaving it in curls around her shoulders, and she can't focus at all when his lips hit the spot behind her ear.

"Poe!" She protests. She turns to face him, and puts her hands on his chest. "I have work to do- I'm behind on everything. I've been so busy helping with Gemma since Ben's been back- these files are out of order."

"Tragic." He smirks, and she kisses the look off his face.

"If one of these files gets messed up, we could end up with a lot of happy little accidents like Gemma running around the base." Eloriah insists as she wiggles out of his hold.

"What a job." He chuckles.

"I know way too much about the sex life of every female on this base." She shudders, and he laughs even louder. "I know everything, including basically lists of everyone any of them has ever slept with." His laughter dies in his throat, and he actually looks pale when she glances over her shoulder at him. "Oh don't be so concerned. Seven is hardly impressive. I happen to know for a fact that one member of your squad has slept with a total of twenty women on this base alone in the last eight months. I'll leave it to you to figure out which one he is."

"Look, Ellie-"

"It's fine, Poe. I'm not stupid. I knew you'd been with other women. I also know you haven't been with anyone since before Gemma was born. So…" She shrugs. "If it was only seven women, I can handle that."

"Well- eight. In total. One was before I was on base full time." He corrects, and she nods.

"Alright. I can handle eight."

"What about you?" He asks.

"What about me?"

"Well- you know my magic number, it only seems fair that I get to know yours." He shrugs, but she can tell this isn't casual at all for him. He's jealous. She bites her lip to keep from smiling as she turns back to her work.

"I don't know if that's something we should talk about- after all, we haven't even slept together yet."

"Which is probably why we should talk about it now, before we take that step, you know?" He suggests. "Why don't you want to tell me, am I not going to like the answer?"

"How many do you think?" She asks, and he freezes.

"Um- I mean- uh-" She laughs. "Oh, you're messing with me- very mature, Eloriah."

"I can't help it. You're so cute when you're flustered." She grins at him. "Alright. My number is...zero." She admits with a shrug, and then she goes back to start working again.

"Zer- wait, what?"

"You heard me." She goes to her desk and reaches for her holo pad.

"How is that possible?" He scoffs, and she gives him a sharp look. "No- not because I think you're a- kriff, that's not what I meant Ellie! I just mean, you're so beautiful, and funny, and smart- how did you not have men lining up for a chance with you?"

"Who says they didn't?" She smirks. "The thing about it is, I was never interested in any of them. Or in casual hook ups. Besides, most of the men who propositioned me were officers who I had, at one point or another, treated for an STD they got on Coruscant visiting one of the brothels. Not exactly the kind of romantic notion a girl has about the first time she sleeps with someone, don't you think?"

"No, I uh, I guess not." He rubs the back of his neck nervously, a movement that endears him to her every time he does it. She rises and goes around her desk, sitting on it and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing the place where his neck disappears under his shirt.

"That's one of the reasons why we're taking it so slow." She admits a little nervously.

"That's fine. I'm not in a rush. I should have known- you told me I was the first one who'd kissed you since you were twelve." He tilts her face up and presses his lips to hers. "Just… Thinking of you with anyone else makes me a little crazy. Remembering I've been with other people, well, they were just...flings. Nothing serious. I think I could wait a lifetime for you."

"Well- you won't have to wait a lifetime." She shrugs. "Just…not quite yet." The medical com on her desk chirps, and she hears several doctors scrambling to speak at once. "Did you hear that?"

"Did they say what I think they said?" Poe asks.

"Ben Solo is awake." She smiles and squeezes his shoulders. "He's awake! Oh my gosh, Rey's going to be so happy!"

"Yeah. I'm sort of curious to meet this guy that she's talking about." He shrugs.

"It's going to be hard for you, isn't it? With what happened?" Eloriah asks softly, her fingers trailing through his curly dark hair. His eyes flash up to hers, filled with pain she recognizes well. "Oh Poe…"

"Hey, you know I don't hold grudges." Poe shrugs, but his shoulders are rigid. She moves her hands to his jaw, and kisses him tenderly on the lips.

"You're still angry about it. That's okay, Poe. You're allowed to be angry." he presses his forehead against hers, their noses bumping. "You don't have to forgive him- you don't even have to like him. But for Rey's sake, for Gemma's sake, we can get along with him at the very least. I saw it in his eyes back then, when I saw him with Rey, he is capable of good."

"Maybe I should thank him." Poe huffs, and she draws back from him.

"What? Whatever for?"

"Well, if you think about it, I only met Finn because Kylo Ren took me prisoner. Finn met Rey because he was trying to escape from Kylo Ren. Rey only met you because she was pregnant with Kylo Ren's child, and I only met you because he changed enough to let her go." Poe says. "And I can't imagine a life where I didn't meet you."

"Poe…" She presses her mouth to his again, brushing her fingers across the nape of his neck. "Hey- I um, I love you." His answering smile is beautiful, and he picks her up and spins her around in a circle, much to her delight. She laughs, and kisses his cheek. "Do you have anything you wanted to say to me?"

"Ellie, Eloriah, I love you too." He kisses her on the mouth and sets her on her desk. "Is telling each other for the first time in your office after we talked about my sex life going to be a passable story to tell Rose?"

"Oh, probably not." She laughs. "I'll just tell her you did something crazy, like had BB-8 send me a holo to meet you outside, where you swept me off my feet in the starlight."

"Damn, that would have been a good one. Can we go back and do it over again?" He smirks.

"Not a chance Dameron. I wouldn't change this for anything." he leans in to kiss her again as the door swings open, revealing a pink faced Rey, and a smiling baby Gemma. Her hazel eyes flash to him quickly, her blush growing deeper and leaving little space for them to wonder what Rey is doing there, in the office of the resistance's only reproductive health expert.


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you think we should wait? I mean, Rey has effectively abandoned us since Ben's been up and about- or should I say back in her bed, hey-oh!" Rose laughs, and holds up her hand for a high five, but Eloriah just stares at her. "Okay, I thought it was a good one, but whatever, not everyone can appreciate my comedic brilliance."

"Is that why you keep Finn around?" Eloriah asks dryly and Rose chuckles.

"Yeah, that's the only reason."

"I say we give it five more minutes, and then we can pick a holo without her." Eloriah shrugs. "I mean, it's girl's night, we can't exactly have a proper girl's night without a third of the girls."

"I guess you're right." Rose sighs. "I mean, I get it, her fiancee is attractive, but like, is the sex really bail on your friends good?"

"I have no idea." Eloriah scoffs.

"I'll bet it's because of that force bond thing they have.I mean, think about it, if they can literally see into each other's thoughts, like it's probably really easy to figure out where the go zones are." Rose muses.

"Yeah, and with the force it's a lot easier to sneak up on your friends and find them speculating about your sex life?" Rey's voice startles them, and they both turn pink.

"To be fair, Rose was speculating, I was being forced to listen." Eloriah holds her hands up.

"Wait to throw me off of the transport!" Rose frowns. Rey just laughs and hops over the old sofa to sit between them. "But was I right though?"

"Rose!" Eloriah scolds.

"It's girl's night- nothing is off limits!" Rose protests as she tosses a standard issue blanket over all of their knees and holds up a box of salty crackers. Rey takes one and munches on it before passing the box on. "Answer the question!"

"Yes." Rey says simply, and Rose laughs.

"I knew it!"

"Ben would freak out if he knew I even said that!" Rey shakes her head. "He's very private- well, I am too."

"Oh don't worry, It's not like we're going to tell anyone the juicy details." Rose rolls her eyes.

"I mean, you got a one word three letter answer out of her- does that count as a juicy detail?" Eloriah asks.

"From Rey? Oh, absolutely." Rose nods. "I mean, what else are we supposed to assume you're doing when you blow us off?"

"Um...taking care of my baby?" Rey asks. "Training to overthrow a tyrannical dictator?"

"I mean, that is fair." Rose nods.

"Which is not to say that I don't sleep with my fiancee basically everyday." Rey shrugs, and Rose chokes on her sparkling juice. "Sometimes twice a day. Occasionally three times."

"See, Eloriah, she pretends to be shy and then she goes and says things like that!" Rose scoffs.

"Okay, okay, enough about me. What about both of you? You both have serious boyfriends, let's talk about that!" Rey says, her face turning pink again.

"Things with Finn are fantastic- I mean, I guess we don't have crazy force sensitive three times a day sex, but then, we don't live in the same room." Rose shrugs.

"And neither of you are force sensitive." Eloriah adds.

"That too."

"In all seriousness, Finn is...the sweetest, kindest, most considerate human being I've ever met. And he's strong too- He's told me what stormtroopers go through from the time they're brought into the program...I can't imagine how much strength of will it would take for someone to break away from that." Rose smiles almost to herself.

"He is sweet." Rey nods with a smile.

"Well, he got Poe off of the Finalizer alive and well, so I feel I owe him a life debt of some kind." Eloriah says seriously.

"Oh, don't let him hear you say that, he'll never let you live it down." Rose chuckles. "But speaking of Poe- how is that going?"

"It's going well." She smiles.

"You two are adorable- walking around the base holding hands. It's so sweet." Rey smiles at her. "I don't think there is anyone out there who could better balance out Poe Dameron."

"Okay, I have to know- I mean, if the rumors are true about him being the best kisser in the Resistance?" Rose asks.

"Is that the rumor?" Eloriah asks. Of course, she's not going to react. She knew about Poe's past with the ladies on the base- he had been honest with her.

"Rose!" Rey gently shoves her.

"Oh yeah, you kissed him too! Spill!" Rose says, and Rey looks nervously at Eloriah who just puts a hand on her shoulder. "I'm the only one on this couch who hasn't kissed Poe Dameron. I feel sort of left out!"

"Don't be getting any ideas." Eloriah warns playfully.

"Shucks, there goes my plan to try to seduce Poe Dameron behind Finn's back." Rose says with an over exaggerated sigh.

"I knew it." Eloriah makes a tutting sound with her tongue. "Oh- speaking of Poe, he gave me something for us." She grabs her med bag and pulls out a large bag of sticky sweet mallow squares, and, even rarer, a large bar of chocolate.

"Oh my gosh, I really could kiss Poe Dameron!" Rose sighs when the first small broken triangle of chocolate hits her tongue.

"Perks of dating the pilot who gets sent on risky supply runs. High risk, high reward." Eloriah smiles. "And, to answer your question, Poe certainly knows what he's doing when it comes to kissing."

"There we go! Finally getting into the spirit of the night!" Rose smiles and pets her shoulder.

"Oh- I've got a new holo vid of Gemma- if you're not tired of them." Rey says, already reaching into her pocket for the pad.

"Um, absolutely not- Gemma is the cutest baby, um, ever, so show me!" Rose insists. Rey hits play, and they're instantly delighted with the image of little Gemma laying on her back and giggling up at her father as he leans down to press kisses to her face, and her round little belly.

"Gosh, I can't get over how much she looks like him!" Eloriah says as she watches Ben scoop the little girl up and turn his attention to Rey, making a brief protest at being filmed, but she just zooms in closer on his face, and from Rey's laughter, it's apparent that he's taken to tickling her too. The video ends abruptly, and Rey smiles at them.

"Sorry- I know, I talk about the baby too much!"

"Absolutely not!" Rose scoffs. "If anything, I'm offended that you don't talk about her more, since she is the cutest baby in the galaxy!"

"Hands down, cutest baby I've ever delivered." Eloriah says honestly.

"See, this is why I keep you guys around, just keep complimenting my daughter." Rey smirks. They stay up over an hour past curfew, until Ben timidly pokes into Rey's head, asking if she wants to feed their daughter, or if he should just give her a bottle. "I should go- if she has a bottle now she'll be full till morning, and then I'm going to have a problem." Rey sighs as she rises from the sofa.

"You know, I could try to requisition a pump for you." Eloriah suggests. "They're not that expensive, I'm sure I could get one."

"Oh, I don't know. There's something about feeding her myself...I know it's only a matter of time before she's weaned and I won't get this time with her anymore."

"Oh, go on then, we're not going to keep you from your baby!" Rose says, rising to hug her. "Love you kiddo."

"You too." Rey embraces Eloriah quickly and she leaves the room.

"Well, We should probably get to bed before someone comes in here and tries to court martial us or something." Rose sighs.

"Don't worry, if someone catches us we'll just bribe them with the leftover smashmallow."

"Wait, there's more?" Rose asks, reaching for one. Eloriah tosses it, and cheers when Rose catches it in her mouth. "Man, I'm really glad you came with Rey." Eloriah smiles,

"Me too."


	6. Chapter 6

"Come on Dameron, I'm trying to get this all cleaned up!" Eloriah chuckles as Poe gently rubs BB-8's belly. "You know, you could help! I mean, come on, Rose and Finn did everything else, we can take the candles out of the bowls."

"It's a beautiful night, don't you think?" Poe asks, and Eloriah glances up at him.

"Well, that's the thing about weddings, isn't it? They make everything seem beautiful." She smiles as she sets another half melted candle into an old basket.

"One thing though. Weddings usually have dancing." he says softly, and glances to BB-8, who takes the cue and quickly starts playing soft music.

"Poe…" She tries to keep from smiling at him, but fails miserably.

"Come on. Just one dance, Ellie." he offers her his hand,

"Oh...alright. But I'll warn you right now, I'm probably terrible at dancing." He helps her off of the ground, and he pulls her into his arms.

"That's just as well. Don't worry, just follow my lead." He smiles at her, and she puts her arms around his neck as his settle into the small of her back. They sway gently to the music under the star light, and she lets out a soft hum of contentment as she lays her head on his chest.

"How am I doing?" She asks, and he chuckles.

"Fantastic." He assures her, and presses a kiss to the crown of her head. "You looked so beautiful today."

"Oh- no. You're thinking of the bride." Eloriah says as she pulls back to look him in the eye. His eyes flick down to the ensemble that Rose had thrown together for her. Standard issue grey trousers, and a soft pink tunic with little flower shaped buttons. Something that had once belonged to her sister Paige, but was too small to button over her own chest. Eloriah had almost cried when Rose had told her to wear it.

"Nah. I mean, yes. She looked beautiful. But no one could ever hold a candle to you."

"Speaking of candles, I do have to finish-"

"Not yet you don't. I said one dance. It's not over yet."

"How long is this song?" She asks, and BB-8 chirps with amusement. "Seven minutes? You little sneak!"

"What? I let BB-8 find the song." He protests. "Granted, my one stipulation was that it be as long as possible…"

"You're lucky you're so cute, or else no one would put up with you." She warns with an amused smile.

"It's a blessing." He grins, glad to see she's not truly mad. "So. A wedding huh? Do you ever think about that?"

"For you and I?" SHe asks as she lays her face in the crook of his neck. "Oh, I may have thought of it once or twice."

"Have you?" She can hear the smile in his voice. "I have too."

"Sometimes I think it's crazy- we've only known each other for what? Five months, maybe? Are we moving too quickly?"

"To be fair, by the time Rey and Ben had known each other for five months, she was what, five months pregnant? And Rose kissed Finn after forty eight hours. Compared to their relationships, we're moving at a crawl." He shrugs.

"Too slow for you?" She asks, glancing up at him.

"Too slow? No." He shakes his head. "Just right."

"I really do love you." She sighs happily, and his arms tighten around her waist.

"I love you too." She closes her eyes and breathes in his scent, so comforting and warm. She felt safer in his arms than she had felt since she was sixteen years old. Her heart swells with love, and she stands on her toes to kiss him again as they sway together under the starlight.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ellie, I have to go." Poe murmurs into her hair, but his hands don't loosen their grip on her hips at all. Around them, everything is chaos as pilots and droids rush to their a-wings and x-wings, but she clings to his shoulders, and takes in every detail of his face, the slope of his nose, his strong jaw, the way one of his eyes droops just a tiny bit more than the other.

"I know." She says softly, fighting to keep tears unspilled.

"Hey, I'll come back to you. I always have before, haven't I?" He asks, dragging his hands up to cup her cheeks.

"Those were all recon missions, supply runs. You haven't been out on a major battle since I've been here. It's different." She shakes her head. He kisses her to silence, and then strokes away her tears with his thumbs. "I should go- I should go to the medical frigate and offer my services."

"Ellie-"

"If I stay here, I'm not going to hear any news- if I'm with the medics, I'll at least hear something!" She insists. He opens his mouth to protest but she shakes her head. "I'm a capable Medic, Poe. they need medics. I'm going."

"Fine." He grumbles. "You just be careful."

"I'll be safer than you." She scoffs, and BB-8 chirps in affirmative.

"BB-8, you're not helping!" Poe huffs. "Eloriah, I love you, but I'd rather you stayed here. "

"Look, I know I'm not a fighter or a pilot, but I'll be far enough away from the battle that I won't be in danger." She assures him.

"Tell that to the med frigate that blew up during our last battle!"

"That was one frigate, do you know how many x-wings blow up every time your squadron goes out on a mission!" She scoffs. "I love you. I'm going." He kisses her again and she starts to move to the med officer.

"Nurse Murphy!" Her head whips around. She sees a somewhat familiar a-wing pilot running towards her.

"Oh- Captain Bambin, I was just-"

"My wife's water just broke- but I have to go, they need all hands-" The man stammers, red in the face. Eloriah's heart sinks, and she closes her eyes. "She's so worried, she's panicking, she keeps asking for you!"

"Right. I'll head to the med unit right away." She assures him, and he lets out a long breath.

"Thank you! Thank you!" He kisses her cheek as he runs to his a-wing. She feel's Poe's warm hand on her lower back, and she turns to face him.

"If you do anything stupid, I am going to kill you!" She says as she throws her arms around his neck. "I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you- I'll see you when I get back, alright? Everything is going to go fine, you'll see."

"It had better!" She commands, pulling his lips to hers. "And that is an order, Commander Dameron. But not one of the orders that you just defy and then do whatever the hell you want. You listen to me, okay?"

"Yes Ma'am." He smiles and kisses her forehead. "I really do have to go."

"Go on then." She gently pushes him back towards his x-wing. He keeps hold of her hand until the last second, and she stands frozen in place as he hops into the pit, and takes off. She brushes a tear out of her eye as she watches his ship reach the sky, and then make the jump to lightspeed. She presses her fingers to her lips, and waves them after him, letting out a quiet whisper. "May the force be with you."

….

"Good job Aya, good!" Eloriah says as she checks the woman's progress. "You're nearly ready to start pushing."

"Oh- do you think Mal is alright?" the woman gasps, gripping at Eloriah's hand. "He has to be alright!"

"I'm sure he's doing his best. he's a good pilot, Aya, you know that." Eloriah says gently. She brushes a few strands of dark hair away from the woman's eyes.

"Well, he's no Poe Dameron." Aya smiles. Eloriah tries to smile back, but she can't help the small well of panic from rising up in her chest. "You are scared for him, just like I am for my Mal."

"Yes." Eloriah clears her throat and blinks back tears. She had worked under much more stressful conditions than this- she had delivered her first baby on her own with her mother's body on the floor fifteen feet away from her. She could, and she would deliver a baby while her boyfriend flew into battle. She can't help but frown when she thinks the word boyfriend. Poe felt like so much more than that to her. He was safe, he was warm, he was her home. He was the love of her life, she had no doubt in this. If he didn't come home...no, she wouldn't let herself think about that. She had a job to do here.

"Alright Aya, it's time!"

…

She holds the new baby boy in her arms while Aya sleeps. The baby had been abnormally large, weighing almost fourteen pounds, easily the biggest baby Eloriah had ever delivered, and his mother was rightfully exhausted as painkillers dripped from the IV in her arm. Eloriah herself is exhausted- it had been a long labor and delivery. But she couldn't sleep, not when there had been no news from the battle.

It didn't help that everyone she had come to consider family was acting in some capacity during the battle. Finn was in the ground crew, while Rose was working tech on one of the transports. Rey and Ben...she shuddered to think of them going against the ghostly figure she had seen only once in a hologram. And then there was Poe...her darling Poe. He was a risk taker, she knew that, and he was so brave- so brave, but she can't help but wish that he would just be one of those pilots who followed orders and came straight back. No thinking, no improvising.

But then he wouldn't be the cockpit sure slightly smug pilot she'd fallen so madly in love with.

"Hey, Eloriah, we're ready to do baby Bambin's hearing test." One of the nurses says as she pokes her head in. "I can take him. You should go take a shower and get some shut eye- or at least grab some food. You've been hard at work since dawn."

"I could probably use some caff." Eloriah admits as she passes the baby off. "Thanks Vara."

"Caff...or some sleep, Eloriah." Vara smiles as she picks up the baby. "Oh wow- you weren't kidding when you said he was a chunk!"

"I know." Eloriah yawns. "I'll see you later." She walks through the base to the mess hall and grabs the largest mug of caff that she can. She makes small talk with a few people, but no one knows what's going on on Jakku. There's no word. When she finishes her caff she doesn't linger, she heads to her compartment, startlingly empty without Rose's cheery voice to greet her, and she strips as she heads for the fresher. The hot water is soothing and wipes away the stale medical smell that always lingers to her after a day at work. She hums quietly to herself, and finally turns off the water. She's half way through dressing when she hears the door of her compartment open. She drops the shirt she'd been holding to put on over her crisp white undergarments, and she opens the door. "Rose?!"

"Oh- sorry-" Poe averts his eyes when he sees her standing there in just her med uniform pants and her bra, but she lets out a loud breath, and leaps into his arms, wet hair splattering across his dirty flight suit, dripping onto his shoulders as she kisses him.

"You're back- you're okay- are you hurt? Oh my love!" She kisses him everywhere she can reach between words. His arms are resting under her thighs, holding her up against him as he claims her mouth.

"I'm fine." he assures her, and she can't tell if the water hitting his cheek comes from her hair or her eyes. "I had to check in with command before I came to see you, but I came as quickly as I could."

"I was so worried about you, all day- no one knew what was going on- at least, no one outside of command, and they were all so busy in command. No one knew if we were winning, or if it was a disaster!" She sighs as she leans her face down to kiss his neck.

"We won. That bastard is dead, Eloriah. He's dead- the First Order is on the run. We did it." He says, and she wiggles out of his arms. "They did it."

"They- Rey and Ben, are they okay?" She sees a shadow pass over his face. "Poe?"

"They're in bad shape. Ben especially. The medics on the frigate don't think…" Poe chokes, and Eloriah's hand flies to her mouth. "Rey has some burns, a concussion, flesh wounds, abrasions...but she's set to recover."

"But will she recover if Ben doesn't?" Eloriah asks.

"No one is sure. Master Luke says that they don't know anything about a force bond like this. It could kill them both." Poe admits, and Eloriah feels more hot tears in her eyes.

"But Gemma-"

"I know." Poe sighs. "But Finn and Rose are okay. They're in the med bay- Finn broke his hand and needs some stitches, so Rose is staying with him. She said she'd see you in the morning."

"I should go see if they need any help with the casualties."

"I knew you'd say that. But the med bay supervisor told me you worked a full day today already, and I was under no circumstances to let you back in until you've slept." Poe says softly, brushing a thumb over her lips. "You've got to take care of yourself Ellie."

"Don't lecture me about that. Look at the bags under your eyes. Come on. Let's get you into bed." She says, undoing his flight suit.

"You want me to stay the night?" He asks, mildly surprised.

"Don't get too excited. We're just sleeping." Eloriah says, suddenly remembering that she wasn't wearing a shirt. "I just don't want to let you out of my arms. Not even when we're sleeping."

"I understand." He kisses her forehead as he slips out of the orange flight suit and his boots, and she pops into the fresher to grab her shirt. She grabs his hand, and leads him to her bed before she climbs in beside him. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her in until her chest rests against his side, and she places her head on his chest, listening to the strong beat of his heart.

"You came back." She sighs dreamily against his neck. "I was so scared."

"I know. I kept thinking of you the whole time." He kisses her forehead. "I knew I had to come back to you. I love you, more than I thought I'd ever love anyone."

"I love you so much." She kisses his chest and settles in more comfortably. "Don't ever scare me like this again."

"I'll do my best."

"Oh- Aya's husband, Mal, did he make it back?" She asks suddenly.

"He did. He was running to the med bay to check on his wife when I left. Was she-"

"It's a healthy boy. A huge boy. And she's doing alright too. She just needed some stitches." Eloriah nods.

"Well, at least there's a happy ending for one family." Poe sighs.

"Do you really think Ben's going to die?" She asks quietly.

"I don't know Ellie. I really don't know."

"Oh maker, I'm so glad you're alright. I can't imagine what I would feel like if you had been injured." She frowns, and he tilts her chin up to kiss her lips.

"I'm fine. I promise you." He breathes. She can already feel him falling into a dreamy stupor. She can't blame him- he's already had such a taxing day. She holds him a little tighter, and just listens to his heartbeat for a while before she falls asleep too.


	8. Chapter 8

She watches Poe's x-wing land with a huge grin on her face. He hops from the ship, his head whipping around wildly until he sees her. He opens his arms to her, and she launches herself up into them, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and kissing him thoroughly.

"Did you miss me?" He asks as she pulls away for air, and she laughs.

"Maybe a little bit." She kisses him again, and he presses her back against the ship as he continues to kiss her deeply. "I hate how long you have to be away."

"Me too." he admits as she brushes his hair out of his eyes.

"You need a haircut." she observes with a smile.

"You're right. You up for a challenge?" He asks.

"Mmm- maybe we should see about getting the barber to do it. I may be good with my hands, but I'm not great with hair. Why do you think I'm always just braiding mine?" She smirks.

"Good point." He kisses her and sets her on her feet. She feels the little droid ram against her ankle, and she squats down to gently pat the droid's head and straighten his antenna.

"Yes, BB-8, I missed you too." She leans in closer and whispers loudly. "Even more than I missed Poe." BB-8 chirps and informs her that he missed her the most. "That's it, I'm arranging an oil bath for you."

"I guess you know I've been gone too long if my droid is doing a better job wooing my lady than I am." Poe chuckles. "But the droid has earned an oil bath." The droid in question hums cheerily.

"Yes, I'll get him in with the mechanics while you go get that haircut." she smiles and kisses his cheek. "You also need a shave- like, what, do you just not take care of yourself if I'm not there to see you?"

"Eh. I was just running loops for General Organa to feel out public opinion of the new republic- which is at an all time high, by the way." He grins at her, and she kisses him again.

"Okay, go on and get your haircut. I'll take care of BB-8, and then you meet me in my room. I have dinner for us."

"Sounds great." She starts to walk away, but he catches her wrist and pulls her back to him to catch another kiss. "What? Just one for the road."

"I'll see you soon."

….

She changes into a pale green dress, a gift sent to her by Rose, and she wears her hair down in loose waves around her shoulders, and she waits for him. She's lit candles and set out a nice supper, specially ordered from the mess hall workers who had been more than happy to help her arrange a little surprise for the ever popular commander Dameron. She answers the knock on the door with a quiet reply, and it slides open to reveal a now fresh shaved and neatly dressed Poe.

"There's my handsome Pilot." She grins at him.

"You look...wow." He whistles, and she blushes.

"Come here." She tilts her chin to indicate that he should come further into the room, and the door shuts behind him. He kisses her, and she melts against him. "I got all of your favorites."

"What a woman." He grins, and pecks her cheek before he pulls a chair out for her, and she takes it. She serves him a plateful, and then a smaller plate for herself. They talk, and laugh for hours, and she has never felt more at ease.

"It's been too long since you last came home." She finally sighs after laughing so hard it brings tears to her eyes.

"I know. I'll tell Leia that I have to start taking shorter tours- or maybe, you could come with me." he suggests, and she almost chokes on her wine.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Of course I do. I hate being away from you." He assures her. "We could get a bigger ship, a small shuttle, even, make it home for us."

"A ship?" She asks, setting her glass down.

"Yeah- why, is there something wrong with that?" He asks, reaching for her hand across the table.

"No- I would love to go with you, Poe. You know that." She insists. "It's only that…"

"That you spent ten years living on a ship, and you like the feel of solid ground under your feet." He finishes for her, and she nods. "That's okay. I understand. Come here." She gets up and goes around the table to sit on his lap, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. His hands are warm where they touch her through the fabric of her dress, and he gently traces circles on her back. "I've missed holding you."

"What a coincidence, I've missed being held." She says, earning a low rumbling laugh from him. "I will think about it, Poe. I...I could make a home with you anywhere. Even on a shuttle."

"Yeah?" He tilts his face down to look at her, and she tilts her face up to kiss him on the lips. "I'll look into it, just in case."

"Good. Maybe I just need a little more time to get used to the idea." She sighs. "After all, life on a ship with you is different than life on a First Order war ship. We would go planetside often, wouldn't we?"

"Of course. We have friends to visit, I'd still have my duties to attend to. We could take leave and go anywhere you wanted to go." He says, caressing her hair.

"I'd like to go back to Onderon. That's where I was born. I haven't been back there since I was a child." Eloriah admits, and he kisses her forehead.

"I'll take you there."

"Oh Poe...You make me so happy." She sighs. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea." He smiles. "About half as much as I love you."

"Right." She rolls her eyes, and sits up to gain better access to his lips. "Mm- before we go too far- we can't have sex. Not tonight." She blushes.

"Oh-kay?" He half chuckles.

"I'm on my cycle- and I haven't gotten an implant yet either- we were running short on them, and I prioritized women who needed them immediately." She explains.

"Okay." He shrugs, and kisses her again.

"You're not mad?"

"What kind of asshole gets mad if a girl doesn't want to sleep with him?" Poe scoffs. "I'm not an ass all the time, and not about this."

"That's not what I meant." She shakes her head. "And it's not that I don't want to sleep with you, I mean, basically, the opposite is true- I've been thinking about it for a while now, but I just...I'm not ready yet."

"Good to know that I haven't completely lost my charms." He chuckles as he cards his fingers through her hair.

"No you haven't." She smiles warmly at him. "I Love you, so much."

"I know you do. I love you too." He kisses her again. She moves her fingers to the buttons of his shirt, undoing them slowly and trailing her fingers down the lines of his chest and his stomach. He catches her hand as it nears his belt and looks at her with an aroused curiosity. "Hey- what are you doing?"

"I said we couldn't have sex. I didn't say we couldn't do...other things." She blushes.

"Oh- Oh." His eyes broaden in understanding. "You don't have to, If you don't want to, Ellie, I really am okay with waiting."

"Do you not want me to?" She asks, a little crestfallen.

"Oh, believe me, I really, really do, but not if you're uncomfortable." He insists.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not." She smirks and kisses him again.


	9. Chapter 9

"I love Naboo." Eloriah smiles as they walk past one of the towering waterfalls. The water below it reflects the light of the moon, and she feels so at peace. "I'm so glad that you could come."

"Well, my boss is the grandmother of the birthday girl. I doubt she was going to make me miss it- especially not since Rey is pregnant and a little emotional lately. You know she would have been pissed if her favorite pilot wasn't here." Poe smirks.

"Oh, don't worry, Chewie was always going to come." Eloriah smirks, and Poe adopts a fake wounded look.

"Ouch!" he scoffs, and she giggles.

"Sorry. Let me kiss it better." She stands on her toes to kiss him, and his hands bunch into the fabric of her long peach colored dress.

"You are so beautiful." He smiles when she finally pulls away, leaving him breathless. "Today was a perfect day, Ellie." She grins, remembering the beautiful memories that had been created today. Gemma smashing into a tiny jogan fruit cake and flinging bits of it into her parent's faces. Leaping into the water with Rose fully clothed to escape Finn and Poe after they'd poured glasses of ice and water down their backs. Leia telling her about how proud she was of Poe, about how wonderful a job he was doing for the New Republic. Everything was perfect.

"It's not over yet." She says, and he looks at her curiously. She takes a deep breath, untangles herself from his arms, and looks around. She knows they're far away from the house- they'd taken Poe's X-wing out to a little known field Leia had told them about- she had said it was perfect for a moonlit stroll, and she had been correct. They were completely alone, under the stars, with the large moon and twinkling lights reflected in water that looked inky blue. Slowly, she undoes the halter tie holding her wrap dress up, and lets it slip down her bare skin. She has the satisfaction of seeing his jaw fall slack for a second before he contains himself. "I think we've been waiting long enough."

"Wh- are you- yes?" he stammers, and she grins. He's usually so suave and sure of himself, but she can feel his eyes tracing over her skin like a man dying of thirst looks at water.

"Yes." She laughs breathlessly. "But, uh, you're wearing too much...and you'll have to catch me first!" She leaps into the water, grinning when she hears him exclaim at being hit by the splash. She treads water easily, and watches him shrug off his shirt before she dives under the water, and swims to the opposite side of the large pool. She hears him dive in and she glances over her shoulder as he swims towards her. "You know, for a fly boy, you're not half bad in the water."

"Oh, I have many talents." He winks and she blushes, a reaction to him she thought she might stop having once he saw her naked. But even after months of stolen moments of passion and pleasure, never quite breaching that last barrier, he still makes her blush just as much as ever. She dives under the water again, and swims around to a place where the water reaches just above her navel. "All things considered, you weren't that hard to catch." He laughs breathlessly as his hands catch her waist.

"Mm, maybe I wanted to be caught." She suggests, and he kisses her, pulling her soft form against the solid muscle of his chest. She gasps and lifts her hands up to brace herself against his chest, and lets herself get lost in the sensation. "Wait just- one second." She says as his lips move to her neck.

"Yeah?" He pulls back to look at her.

"My implant- I had to get it removed before we came to Naboo- it was from a defective lot, remember? I didn't have time to get a new one since we were already running late, and I wasn't really planning this…" She says, cursing herself. "But I think...well, it would probably be alright if we did this anyways. By my calculations, the timing is wrong for anything big to happen."

"If you're worried about it-"

"Would it be the worst thing in the world if something...big...did happen?" She asks nervously.

"No. not at all." He caresses her cheek. "As long as you're sure."

"Oh my gosh, Dameron, I've been waiting all day to get you alone. I'm sure." She kisses his palm.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I still have the men's implant that they offer to all the pilots." He says, and she nods.

"That actually does make me feel a little better." She relaxes into his hold and kisses him again. "Wait- you've had an implant for months, and didn't bring it up any of the times I used "I don't have an implant yet" as an excuse?"

"Yeah." She stares at him slack jawed. "You obviously weren't ready yet, Ellie. If that was the excuse you needed to tell yourself so you didn't feel guilty for "Stringing me along" or whatever, then that was fine with me. I knew you'd tell me when you were really ready for this."

"You are the sweetest man alive, Poe Dameron." She grins and tangles her fingers in his wet curly hair as she draws his face down to hers again. "And I'm ready. Definitely ready."

"Thank the maker!" He laughs as she jumps into his arms and wraps her legs around his waist. "Kriff, I love you so much."

"Good." She smiles and brings her mouth crashing down against his again.


End file.
